Baked Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Wings

A recipe for crispy baked chicken wings tossed with a homemade garlic-parmesan sauce that you can make in minutes. It’s always time for chicken wings.

I couldn’t tell you when it was that I got hooked on chicken wings. I had never really tried them until late into my college life. The only exposure I had to chicken wings was from the buckets of chicken my mother used to pick up every now and then, but there were only 2 wings in the bucket and my mother took those first.

Fast forward and I am an admitted wing junkie. I LOVE heading out to one of several wing joints in my area, mixing and matching different sauces, going crazy hot one day, sticky and sweet the next. So many wonderful choices.

That said, wing joint wings are wonderful and all, but sometimes you just can’t beat a batch of chicken wings made at home, especially one of the most common, and most popular preparations because of the awesome flavor: Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Wings.

I’ve made chicken wings many, many different ways and this is one of the simplest ways to prepare them. I’ve opted to bake them, which is what I usually like to do at home, rather than frying, which can be quite messy with wings.

If you have a fryer, go for it, but baked wings are fall-off-the-bone.

How to Make These Baked Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Wings

Trim the wing tips from the wings and separate them. Rub them down with baking powder, garlic, chili powder, dried basil and salt and pepper. The baking powder helps draw the moisture out, allowing the skin to crisp up nicely.

Bake the wings for 30 minutes at 250 degrees, then crank up the heat to 425 degrees and bake another 30 minutes, or until the wings are cooked through.

While the wings are baking, whip up your sauce. It only takes a few minutes, so get it going close to the end of the wings cooking time.

Here are your sauce ingredients.

Melt butter in a pan and add the garlic.

Cook a minute, until fragrant. The smell of garlic cooking slowly in butter will drive you wild.

Add in the hot sauce and heat through, then swirl in the Parmesan cheese and remove from heat.

If you add too much Parmesan it may get a slight bit gloopy, but the flavor is still there, and that gloopiness will disappear when you toss it with the wings.

Sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan cheese and there you go. It’s a simple and classic chicken wings recipe, a reliable old standby, but there is a reason it is a go-to for so many.

The resulting chicken wings are tasty as heck! Every bit delivers a combination of mellowed garlic, sharp cheese and a saucy tang. Can’t get enough.

Maybe you should make a double batch.

The Key to Making Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings

There are 3 important factors in achieving crispy chicken wings when baked in the oven. They are:

Drying the Chicken Wings. Pat them very dry with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. You can also set them in the fridge after this step and leave them overnight to dry out even further.

Baking Powder and Salt. Baking powder and salt help to draw the extra moisture out of the skin where it can evaporate. Moisture is the key reason why oven baked chicken wings don’t crisp up as desired.

The Baking Process. Bake the wings first at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 30 minutes, then turn up the heat and bake another 30 minutes (or until they are cooked through and nice and crispy) at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

If you’re looking for even MORE crispiness, turn on the broiler at the very end of the cooking time for a couple minutes. Just be careful to not burn them.

You can see the crispiness when you take them out of the oven. You can feel the crispy dryness on the skin. It is awesome!

Patty’s Perspective

Why ever go out for wings when you can have these beautiful, baked wings to your exact tastes? Bring on the Parm! I always want more Parm.

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

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WELCOME!

Hi, Everyone! I'm Mike, your chilihead friend who LOVES good food. I love it spicy, and hopefully you do, too. Here you'll find hundreds of spicy recipes of all levels, some with a little, some with a LOT, but everything is adjustable to your personal tastes. You'll also learn a lot about chili peppers and seasonings, my very favorite things.